»10/15/2013BANGLADESHOnline (animal) shopping for Eid al-Adha, a big hit in Bangladeshby Sumon CorrayaFor the Feast of the Sacrifice, thousands of Muslims, especially women, choose to buy cattle on the Internet. Specialised sites allow consumers to buy with credit cards or bank credit. For one businesswoman, "This way, I save time and do not have to deal with shopkeepers."

Dhaka (AsiaNews)
- Online shopping "fever" has arrived in Bangladesh with women as the
main Internet shoppers. They do not buy only clothing, books or electronic
devices, but also cattle and other livestock, needed especially now as Muslims observe Eid al-Adha, the Feast of the Sacrifice
that is celebrated every year during Hajj (pilgrimage to Makkah).

"I'm a businesswoman,"
Shopna Ahmed told AsiaNews, "and in
this period I'm very busy. Buying online not only saves me valuable time, but I
avoid going to the market, where it is difficult for a woman to haggle over prices."

Like her,
thousands of Muslims they decided to try online shopping this year. The most-used
sites are bikroy.com, cellbazar.com and amrdesheshop.com.

Each offers a
wide variety of animals, and the purchase can be done by credit card or through
bank credit offered by BRAC or Dutch-Bangla Bank.

On Eid al-Adha, Muslims commemorate the
submission of Ibrahim (Abraham) to God, who commanded him to sacrifice his son
Ishmael.

God then decided
to replace the child with a baby goat, who today plays the central role in the
festival. After the animal is slaughtered according to Islamic rules, it is eaten
at a great meal.

From a Qur'anic
point of view, the festival celebrates obedience and self-sacrifice in the name
of God.

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